Universal CityWalk...strikes out!

I have never been to Universal CityWalk in a while. When I got there, I checked out the place. Good stuff. Also, I got to see a Dixieland revival band at the Hard Rock Café, check out a few Galaxy jerseys (I was bummed I couldn’t get plain blue ones [but well, it is Universal City. It ain’t Carson]), and look at the donations that those who love to rock gave to the restaurant.

Now, while I, for the most part, enjoyed the AX staff dinner at Universal Citywalk’s Hark Rock Café (I even got to see my mug in a few parts of the video), I had a few bones to pick.

1. Why should we not be let in until 4:00 p.m.? Hello, this is America, not Australia! It’s hot, and I am not gonna be roasted. I said to one of staffers, “So you’re just gonna let us suffer in this heat?” He said, “Yep.” Strike One. In this case, the correct answer would be, “Sorry, it’s part of our policy not to let our guests in until 4:00 p.m. We’ll let you in shortly.”
2. Some of the people were rude. I asked one of the bartenders for a Diet Pepsi. She mumbled something like, “You just have to be demanding like that?” Strike Two. Yo. This is the Hard Rock Café. This ain’t your frickin’ house, sunshine. Shut up and just give me my drink, and I don’t want any of your annoying smart-ass comments.
3. As I got over to get some desserts, I see only crumbs of cheesecake, a ridiculous bunch of marshmallows, and only one bowl of chocolate sauce, which was empty by the time I got there. Strike three, you’re out! Apparently the people who run this joint underestimated our passion for the sweet stuff. There should have been 3 or 4 trays, heck, how about 5 or them. Some people were disappointed not to even get any dessert (unless you count marshmallows-I’m not even in the mood for a Miu Matsuoka fap-fest, god willing; they have too many marshmallows, and too little cheesecake and chocolate sauce!).

And to add insult, the people at Universal CityWalk, told me to get off the tram cab I was in as it was about to head off. A young black guy (I assume he’s fresh off the streets…go back to Compton, kid!) told me to get off. They said I was cutting, but actually, the way it was set up was disadvantageous (why should I go around? Take a page of Disneyland’s playbook, you underpaid, undeserving schmucks!), and poorly planned. Heck, the poor would-be Blood/Crip/OG even argues with some tourists, some who came from Asia, just to visit.

Yo. All you folks learning about customer service: here is a perfect example of what not to do when talking with guests at a theme park. Never confront them, and turn it into something you don’t want.

I hope those guys are on minimum wage, at-will, without a raise, because I would not risk my position at Universal Studios, arguing with some tourists. I decided to walk to the station instead, sending out a few final remarks with the folks in the green vests before heading off.

Italian easybeatsteatea

I am going to have to concur that Turkey is the type of team that will beat Long Beach State in men’s volleyball. If our schedule had teams that had the type of talent level the Turks have, I’m counting on a donut year for Alan Knipe, and his sacking from his position as coach.

That being said, I can’t believe Italy can’t lay a finger to our guys. I also think Evan Patak picked the wrong time to be injured, in that semifinal. But the big guy bounced back, and Italy laid down and gave up, the USA keeping it real, 25-15, 25-22, 25-16.

I expect Canada to be crushed. And they were, going down in four to Turkey. More of the same..

August flies

As August passes by, the flies and mosquitos come to Baltic Avenue to fly around the house. Occasionally, if I'm fast enough, I can squash a fly and eat it like it was nothing. Some people will find it gross, but the concept of entomophagy is an interesting study, because insects were a source of food for humans before the domestication of cattle, chickens, pigs, sheep, goats, and so on, diversified man's protein intake from animal sources.

Some of my friends have been interviewing me because I won the first prize at the Beach Pride program. Personally, I find it to be an honor, and the symbol of my dedication to The Beach™, and I even wrote a few articles for the Daily 49er today. I don't want to make writing for the Union Weekly's rival a habit though!

<(>w<)/

The summer sessions hit the climax, and I have a presentation, a portfolio, and a final all on the same Thursday. It's pure bedlam here at The Beach™. I guess I'll have to hit the books. But I gotta wait for my laptop battery to finish charging.

One More Moment for the Master

If Alan Knipe is not on the hot seat yet next year, he should be on it right now. I will put him among coaches who do not know how to win big games. I believe that a coach who doesn’t know how to win big games is just as good as a coach who just doesn’t know how to win, PERIOD.

Turkey def. United States 25-21, 28-26, 39-37.

I expect those fucking Italians to run it up our posteriors. This has been a long, long, LOOOONG campaign for us. Take us out of our misery, Azzurri!

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a man by the name of David Beckham scored his first goal with the Los Angeles Galaxy. It was a mere demonstration of the bending shot. One More Moment for the Master was the name of the set piece. The student, goalkeeper Troy Perkins of DC United, wasn’t keen on letting the Master beat him twice, but DC United lost anyway, 2-0.

Speaking of being beat twice…they say that it is difficult for a team to beat a good team twice. If we finish the deal off against Pachuca, we will have done that. Prepare yourselves, Tuzos!

Phone calls

We get many people calling on our phone. Sometimes it’s a friend or a relative of mine, or my parents’, or my sister’s. Sometimes it’s the people that we used to work with. The guy from the video store on Willow and Baltic would call every now and then to ask my sister for help, even though she has moved on to bigger and better things saving lives at St. Mary’s Medical Center. Other times, it’s people from my university asking questions or getting in touch with me.

Recently, a string of calls from some sadistic money-thirsty demons we call creditors have been calling regarding my mom. I don’t know what’s going on, but they seem to be calling every day. If there was one position I wouldn’t want to be in, it’s working as a creditor, because I know I will be viewed as a villain by the people I am asking money for. And I haven’t even worked as one yet, and I have an image of what my work would be.

Poor Jose Offerman. Another old outcast from the disgraced national pastime has given the middle finger to the game with his faggotry: an ejection for using a bat as a weapon. Hey Jose, if you’re going to use it, at least succeed in decapitating the pitcher and leave him for dead in a pool of blood on the mound! Amateur.

I have some previews now of a number of Mission Football Conference teams. Now I can continue my preview on the Mayhem (url: missionjoe.blogspot.com).

How about the USA. They are two wins away from the winning the gold in men’s volleyball in Bangkok. We’re counting on you, Paul “The Chopman” Lotman. Unleash the Claw!

More blows for the Bush administration…another 500 dead in Iraq. Sigh.

The LBSU Inquisition

Wiktionary defines inquisition as:

2. an investigation or inquiry into the truth of some matter
3. an inquest
4. a questioning

The NCAA launched an inquisition of their own today. Long Beach State athletic director Vic Cegles, university president Dr. F. King Alexander, and a company of other big shots were in Indianapolis to answer a list of questions regarding the eligibility of the graduating seniors on the men’s basketball team last year.

From the Long Beach Press-Telegram:

LONG BEACH - Long Beach State administrators, including president Dr. F. King Alexander and athletic director Vic Cegles, are scheduled to be in Indianapolis Friday morning for a hearing with the NCAA's Committee on Infractions concerning allegations of NCAA rules violations by members of the school's former men's basketball coaching staff.

According to multiple sources, the NCAA's Enforcement Office gave the school a list of seven allegations of violations - the majority of which are alleged to have transpired in the summer of 2005 and concern academic issues surrounding members of a large group of community college transfers who enrolled at Long Beach State two years ago.

Those players are Sterling Byrd, Mark Dawson, Jazz Henderson, Kejuan Johnson, Aaron Nixon and Dominique Ricks.

Byrd, Dawson, Johnson, Nixon and Ricks played two seasons for then-coach Larry Reynolds' 49ers and were major components of last season's team that went 24-8 and made the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1995. Henderson left the program after the 2005-06 season and attended Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas, this past school year but didn't play intercollegiate basketball there.

Reynolds and his full-time staff members - Reggie Howard, Scott Waterman and John Masi (Masi wasn't a part of the program in the period covered by the allegations) - were not retained after the season.

School administrators launched a co-investigation with the NCAA last October after the organization's enforcement office requested interviews with players and coaches about possible rules violations. They already have given their written response to the allegations.

"We've spent a lot of time on this," Cegles said. "Obviously, the president and I will not tolerate any coach or program violating NCAA rules.

"We told the NCAA we would do whatever we could do to help them in this investigation, so we provided them with as much information as we possibly could, and with what they asked for in terms of records and our knowledge of what happened."

Cegles and Alexander were not employed by the school during the period covered in the investigation.

The Long Beach administrators expected to represent the school at the hearing at an Indianapolis hotel will be Alexander, Cegles, new coach Dan Monson, vice president for student affairs Doug Robinson, associate AD for compliance MaryAnn Tripodi and former faculty athletic representative Dixie Grimmett. They will have their opportunity to respond to the charges, orally, and respond to questions that members of the Committee on Infractions may have for them.

Also expected to be in the hearing are representatives of the NCAA's enforcement staff, which conducted the investigation on the NCAA's end and turned over its findings to the Committee on Infractions.

Steve Morgan, an attorney for the Overland, Kan., law firm of Bond, Shoeneck and King that specializes in representing universities and athletes with eligibility or other NCAA issues, was hired by LBSU almost immediately after the school was informed that the NCAA was launching its inquiry.

He spearheaded the school's portion of the investigation, including interviewing athletes, coaches and others involved. He also will sit with Long Beach administrators in the hearing Friday.

Reynolds and members of his staff at the time who are alleged to have violated (to varying degrees) NCAA rules are Brent Bargen (the head coach at Chadron State in Nebraska for the past year), Howard (who was suspended from his coaching duties by the school on Feb. 1 during the course of its investigation) and Waterman. They are expected to attend the hearing.

They also will be given the opportunity to respond, individually, to allegations and ask or answer questions of infractions by committee members. They are permitted to bring legal counsel.

When contacted by the Press-Telegram, Reynolds, Howard and Waterman declined to discuss either the allegations or any other details concerning the matter.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Bargen hadn't responded to Press-Telegram voice mail and e-mail messages.

After a typical hearing of this sort, the Committee on Infractions members - most of which are administrators at NCAA member institutions and/or are attorneys - will begin their deliberations, usually individually, with discussion usually coming in conference calls. No fewer than five can hear a case and the number usually is in the seven to 10 range.

They will then make their findings, determine what penalties are merited, if any, and assign one of the members to write an infractions report, which will then be OK'd by the individual members before it is forwarded to the institution and then released to the public.

The usual time frame from hearing to public release of findings and sanctions, if any, is six to eight weeks.

It is believed that in its written response to the charges, the LBSU administration offered a set of "self-imposed sanctions."

Some of those might include:

Reduce the number of coaches the basketball staff could have on the road from three to two during the NCAA's evaluation period. The most recent evaluation period was July and the school complied.

Reduce the scholarship limitation from 13 to 12 for consecutive academic years.

Reduce the number of expenses-paid-by-school recruiting visits from a maximum-allowed 12 to nine during an academic year.

Not recruit community college prospects for an academic year.

Neither Alexander nor Cegles would comment on any possible "preemptive" self-sanctions they may have offered the Committee on Infractions.

Ouch.

v(^_^)>

Saskatchewan gave me a nice birthday present. The Roughriders defeated the then-undefeated BC Lions, 21-9, on my birthday. Awesome job, Green and White.

I got an unexpected reprieve for my case brief. Yay. I can now kill a number of birds with one stone until Thursday.

Mike Bacsik, pray that our corrupted government intervenes like the schmucks they are. Just pray. You too, Hank Aaron.

Oy.

Donating blood = a waste of time?

Well, that will be the last time I donate blood at a church for a while.

Up until this point, I didn’t have a problem with the delivery of my blood. But today, at St. Pancratius Church in Lakewood, some rather unqualified staff from the American Red Cross messed up my donation. The needle got clogged, and I started to feel like how my mom felt when the washer started to grate loudly a few weeks ago.

I probably have an idea why not a lot of people donate blood out here. The people at the Red Cross can’t even do the process right themselves. They apologized to me, but I said, “Oh, like hell I’m gonna hear it. Apologize to the people who need the donations. You screwed up, and you’re gonna have to deal with it.”

Thanks a lot, Red Cross. You wasted my time with your uncompelling incompetence. Let that clot be on your head until you can your shit together. Fuckers.

As August 2 rolls in…

I leave much to be desired. I got a score of 32 out of 50 in my first BLAW exam. I attest that to not checking my answers in the Study Guide. I will have to rectify that next Tuesday. Meanwhile, in my Management class, I got a score of 40 out of 50 in my second exam, an improvement from 38. This made me satisfied, because the first time I took a stab at this course, my first two exams were too bloody low. I had to drop the course.

Perhaps because the Master, Dr. Philip Chong, provided practice exams, I was able to do much better this time than when I had that ill-fated outing with Sal Kukalis. Bloody Greek; he didn’t provided me this, and he wouldn’t let me use the DSS office. If things go the way they are, and my portfolio and team project are relatively scot-free, I will have successfully exorcised those demons from last Fall. Ugh. My mind just starts to shudder just thinking about it.

My thoughts on blacklists: many of them are nothing but biased suggestions. If you are the manager, or executive of a company, it ain’t your obligation to follow them, because the government sees it as a bunch of BS.

USA, Italy, Brazil, and…Iraq!?

It was only fitting that captain Younes Mahmoud of the Iraq national football team send his countrymen to the FIFA Confederations Cup. The sons of a land torn by bloodshed and war, the Lions of the Two Rivers defeated Saudi Arabia’s Sons of the Desert, 1-0, and Mahmoud’s goal off an assist by Hawar Mullah Mohammed sent eruptions of joy, and bullets pumped into the air, from Baghdad to Basra, from Fallujah to Sadr City, and from Karbala to Najaf.

Iraq’s victory over Saudi Arabia was one of the few events that brought happiness. In a country where suicide bombers and car bombers make living or dying a lottery of fate, and where the United States has failed to stabilize tensions to the fact that billions of dollars are wasted on a meaningless cause, its football team was its angels, and its salvation.

With Iraq qualifying for the Confederations Cup in 2009, one wonder if they will be in the same pool as the USA. As if our ill-fated campaign wasn’t bad enough…

Let me go ahead and change the pace, and talk a little bit of Little League. First off, there are brackets where there is only one team qualifying, and one team only. You gotta give credit to Dhahran’s Arabia-American Little League because every year since the Transatlantic bracket was made, this group of expatriate children win this tournament every year. It’s not even a contest. It’s like the Golden Bears of California and the national collegiate rugby tournament: only one team has dominated the entire tournament, though there have been a few breaks.

Maybe the people should change the Transatlantic tournament to the “Dhahran Invitational at Kutno,” because patsies like Dubai (stick to your horse racing), Stuttgart (a football city), London (who even plays baseball there? Did you mean “rounders” or “cricket”!?), and Naples (the home of Italian-American cuisine may be best to stick to watching the Azzuri kick butt at Euro 2008, or seeing the next Serie A scandal unfold) can’t lift a tip of a finger to these regulars. Just bloody forfeit; the worst team in my high school baseball league can rough you guys up! Oy!

This year, the boys from Tokyo Kitasuna return to Williamsport, in hopes of bowing to the Lamade bust when they win it all (no hara-kiri, please). For these guys, this is their only chance, because it’s off to the high school ranks, where Koshien is their goal, and everything must be sacrificed in the name of aspiring to be in the ranks of kokoyakyu immortality. That explains why they do not have a Junior, Senior, of Big League entry: the road to Koshien is already keeping them busy.

That, and the examination exams, the cram sessions, and perhaps, the manga and anime that inspires them to visualize where they will be when the former two result in futulity. Make note of it, Hikkikomori nation.

My take on the early Heisman contenders

Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas – Along with Mike Hart and Steve Slaton, McFadden is on the early top 3 for a lot of people. The reason why McFadden may have a good shot is the schedule. There’s a hefty amount of cream puffs to stat-pad early, and there is no Florida on the schedule. Tennessee and LSU may be the toughest on the schedule. No USC either, and by USC, I do not mean the Gamecocks. Yep, that’s right. McFadden has a great opportunity to lead his team to the promised land, and himself to the Big Apple.

Steve Slaton, WR, West Virginia – Unless he gets a brush date with Vegas chicks a la Pacman Jones, this guy might be the first-ever pure wide receiver since Desmond Howard (no, fellow Wolverine Charles Woodson doesn’t count) to bring home the hardware. Louisville and Rutgers may be the biggest competition on the season. Still, this schedule is tailor-made for some stat-padding. The match with the Scarlet Knights and Ray Rice may be a defining moment, should he catch the pigskin on the way to a Biletnikoff…and a train to Grand Central and Downtown AC.

Mike Hart, RB, Michigan – Hail, hail, the Heisman might come back to Michigan! OR…it might not. The biggest competition to McFadden for the Doak, Hart might surprise some people with a solid performance against the Buckeyes. With the 15^th toughest schedule in the country, Hart might strike the pose if he rips the defenses apart this year: the schedule includes Notre Dame and Oregon, too, while the jump start might be seen against the FCS champions Appalachian State. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Ray Rice, RB, Rutgers – Is there a bad moon rising on the banks of the Raritan? Rutgers, long been a doormat of football until the rise of the Wood Chopper, Greg Schiano, finally broke through. Ray Rice raised eyebrows ridiculously, and he’s ready to raise the roof this season. The schedule might not work in his favor: the Scarlet Knights face Norfolk State, Army, and Buffalo. But big efforts against Navy, Louisville, and West Virginia might work wonders for his push up the turnpike to Manhattan.

Colt Brennan, QB, Hawaii – There are system quarterbacks, and then there’s Colt Brennan. With a reliable arm and NCAA single-season records for touchdowns and pass efficiency, Brennan is looking to cap off his college career as a key playmaker in June Jones’ Run and Shoot offense at Aloha Stadium. The biggest test for Brennan will be to pick apart a Boise State defense that has become a sign of utter frustration for the Green and White. A solid effort on November 23^rd, combined with great playmaking the rest of the season could equal…well, we’ll leave it to you to figure it out.

Ian Johnson, RB, Boise State – Like Brennan, Ian’s biggest moment since running the Statue of Liberty to perfection and successfully proposing to a cheerleader in Tempe will be a great effort by the Broncos back. If Johnson is shut down defensively, his campaign might be off life support. Maybe worrying about thugs wrecking a wedding a la Hollywood silver screen flicks with Ahnuld might be the biggest priority.

My heart goes off to Wake Forest. Skip Prosser, the men’s basketball coach, died today. He was 56, and will be sorely missed. The Deacon will prepare his eulogy on the day of the funeral. All who are invited are welcome to attend.

SOAR and sleep

An anecdote:

There was a time, in Fall of 2005, when I was visiting the campus. I was with a group of people, but originally, I was assigned to Asian-American Studies. Actually, it was a sneaky way to get into the university, because Asian-American Studies is not impacted, and Business is impacted. I was allowed entry because of the non-impacted major I declared. Once I got in, I immediately switched my major. It floundered by mistake into Marketing, then Finance, before it settled on Management Information Systems.

So I went from a lecture hall in one of the Liberal Arts buildings to the campus, and visiting every part, every nook and cranny. It was a great time. I even watched a video about the campus being *insert microphone with echo* “HUGE!!!” and so on. From there, I got my ID, but I couldn’t register my first classes with the teachers I wanted, because the upperclassmen get first dibs, and I’m left with the scraps, like the others. Add that my first semester had a professor that looked like he in a bloody time warp and had no business to be here, and I can’t say that my SOAR experience paid off in the short run.

But fast forward two-ish years later, and I am sitting on a small wall that says “Go Beach”. A few meters away, the Beach flag is fluttering, that gold and black banner, weathered, a bit dirty, but still functioning like it has always done when it was first commissioned years ago. A small group of young freshmen with stickers on their shirts is accompanied by a couple of juniors dressed in black polos with white floral print. Some of the young freshies are still in awe regarding the place. I kinda feel for some of them because a few courageous plebes are going to go Greek, and I just hope someone up above watches for them, and for the frats that they are pledging for.

I notice the guys with the black aloha polos and said, “Nice shirts. Good job!”

“Thanks!” they hollered back.

One of them says to the group, “Ladies and gentlemen, this is the guy that won the Beach Pride program Grand Prize last year, Super Fan!”

I tip my hat, and greet the contingent. It’s a interesting feeling: I have retired from bringing the energy to the games, and they still remember it. It’s fresh in their heads. That’s good, because I believe not only did I do my part, they remember the payoff that came with the publicity. Double win.

They walk on to the next stop on the tour, and I wait a few more minutes on the wall till the next 171 rolls into Beach and West Campus.

I always learn something new every day. I return to the sleep topic. I learned a new thing: at this time of the season, even during this time, sleep is luxury for my Mom. I apologized for not informing her (even though it was just out of diplomacy, she knows just as well as me that the damage has been done, and apologies are meaningless unless the damage is rectified substantially, and that it would be prevented for the long haul and some), but it seems we’re going to have to bring out the Maytag people.

Goodbye Maytag washer and dryer combo…hello, coin-op Laundromats. You know, I found out, it’s actually been a long time since we went to the Laundromat near Golden and Willow. I would go with my Mom or with my sister, and we would use the machines. Sometimes I would wander over to the convenient store across the street and buy a soda or two as I wait patiently for the clothes to finish.

I think those days might be coming back soon, I mean, real soon.

In the days when police officers kept the peace...Part 2

On the flip side…

I’m always ranting about my mom being stubborn like me, but I think I should put it all in perspective for a number of reasons (she is getting some sleep right now as I am blogging).

1. The rage that she and Dad have is in my veins, and I translated it into bringing the energy when I watch a game. My parents don’t like losing, and neither do I. That’s why when my team is feeling it, I am, and I let the opposition know. It actually has paid off, one of them being us flooding the court at the Anaheim Convention Center months ago.
2. It’s a lesson for me when I reach Dad’s age: mellow down, and don’t put stress on yourself. Don’t do what Mom did when you have children that are old as you are now. Even if they are in your household, accept that they will be responsible, and so on, and leave it at that. It’s an argument you will never lose, even if your threat all that stuff…be honest. You can never do that, not after you’ve been proven wrong. You’ll only dig a deeper hole than what you’ve dug when you can’t let go of your flawed convictions, and you will never get out of it, dying while trying to.
3. Sleep is important, after all. No, really, it is. Mr. Sandman is awesome, because he prevents you from realizing your own doom too soon. But it’s up to you to make a nightly visit. And to do that, you must sleep.
4. Never use anyone as a scapegoat when something goes wrong in any group. You are going to lose credibility, and you will be seen as a divider. It happens in every business, in one way or another: one person is blames for everything, and everyone else but the scapegoat believes it. Don’t be like my mom and scapegoat anyone when something that will be eventually fixed goes bad. Sure it hurts, but to think too much of it? You’re only gonna lose sleep over it, and perform lousy the next day.

I keep this in mind as I finish the laundry and prepare for the first Business Law exam on Thursday.

In the days when police officers kept the peace...

debacles like this never occurred if ever.

As the washer and dryer went through the daily spins, the dry belt creaking, whirr, whirr, whirr as it went along like an improvised pet seal, I assured my mother that I will be keeping the loads below the brim. Unfortunately, instead of acknowledging it, she does what she always does every few weeks, and escalates a discussion into a stupid argument, and even threats me with a knife or a fork.

I dialed 911 to report the incident, and I let them know about the situation. Mom sees this as a threat to her soon-to-be-shortened existence, and tells me to leave the house.

There is a reason why I have to call the police. Actually, there are two reasons.

1. Mom just doesn't know when to shut up. I tell her to, she won't acknowledge that she's being as obnoxious, maybe even more of a loose cannon, than I am, so I have to summon an officer to tell her that she's disturbing the quiet of the neighborhood. She does not acknowledge the neighbors unless there is graffiti from the Longos on our family garage door. Actually, that's the only time she does something: when there is graffiti. But that's the thing, if I can't get her to just shut up since she's ruining it for herself as well, I'm going have to get the authority to do it for me.
   
2. If I don't do it, one of the neighbors will, and we're both screwed. Actually, so is my dad, the Man of the House (and one who I haven't had a problem with for several months.) In a neighborhood like West Long Beach, we have what we call Neighborhood Watch. Everyone looks out for each other, and the police are there to make sure our community is safe, and their are no loud disputes that are ruining the others' rest for tomorrow's next battles and challenges.
3. Actually, I'll add a third one. I don't believe in using weapons or war, or any of that stuff. I am a student of learning diplomatic ways to stop conflicts. If I believed in using guns and what have you, none of the members of my family, or me, would be alive today.
   

There's a commandment that says, "Honor your father and your mother." But what if the father/mother does not recognize that their son and/or daughter is honoring their wishes, what good is it? It should be a bigger sin for the parents to not understand that their children is, in their own way, following the commandment.

Sheesh. And my mom goes to church every Sunday. Word up, dear mother, there's this thing called "Confession." I don't go to church anyway, mainly for a reason like this...

Two sorry cities, two sorry affairs.

There are high schools, and there are high schools who make 4 years of hard work look like wastes of time. Galeburg, Illinois...ever heard of anime? You might be enlightened, you bloody admins...

Article

And a poor Tulsa Drillers coach gets drilled in the head by a beanball. Ray Chapman send help!

Oh the tragedy!

More Football Futility

Melbourne Victory lost to Newcastle Jets, 1-0. Seems Carlos Hernandez is not impressing early. The Victory boys need to change some things fast.

Chelsea defeated the LA Galaxy, 1-0. I’m not disappointed that the Galaxy continued their losing streak. I’m disappointed that Chelsea scored only 1 goal, and not 3 of them. And poor Toronto FC failed against Frankie Hejduk and Columbus, 2-0.

I’m looking more forward to American Football season beginning now. It seems my favorite soccer teams are not cashing in on success.

Oh Lord, not another weekend from hell...

I am steaming.

Man, I hope this isn’t the start of a weekend from hell. The USA lost to Cuba, 3-1, in the gold medal game at the Rio 2007 Pan-American Games. We can’t even win at our own national pastime. I wonder if Mike Weathers was coaching that team. That might explain it, as well as the fact that Oregon State’s 2007 squad could smash the bombs out of this team early. What a half-assed effort.

Speaking of Pan-Am, why the hell are we bringing incompetent footballers in group play? Our USA women lost to Mexico today. Usually, we own these guys, but not today, it seems. What a bloody shocker. I so hope Canada crushes them for not getting the job done.

The Saskatchewan vs. Edmonton game confirmed that things are not looking up for my teams so far (the Eskimos won, 21-20). Those damn Roughriders let Edmonton back into the game to rally. Come on Kent Austin, BC was last week. Wake your guys up! Are you gonna be giving more of the same, chokers?

Oh, and those Angels. Again, they fail to impress, this time against the Twins. They lose 5-7. And I think I’m seeing some more futility from the Galaxy, even with Beckham, because if they can’t lift a finger to Tigres, not even God can save them from Chelsea. The world will turn upside down if we defeat Mourinho’s boys. Galaxy defeating Chelsea? Fuhgeddaboutit!

Tim Donaghy, you oughta be shot for your actions outside of officiating in the NBA. Gambling, and keeping books while officiating? Boy, you are as bad as they come in a league already seeing its ratings sink. Watch yourself.

If I were to write a Haruhi Suzumiya fanfic, one of the chapters would have a section like this.

The SOS Brigade jumped up and let out a huge roar. Everyone patted each other on the back, hugging, partying like the New Year had started. Meanwhile, Yuki Nagato was still in her corner, reading the last Harry Potter novel.

Kyon went over to her as the group continued their reveling in the distance. “Hey Nagato, Japan won.”

She looked up, adjusted her reading classes and nodded.

“Was this…you prediction?”

He remembered a few hours ago her saying, “I am going to predict that the winner of the match to be the one who wins the penalty shootout.”

“And who might that be?” Haruhi asked with a smug look on her face.

“As Mikuru-san likes to allude, it’s classified information.”

She snuck a dirty look, then said, “Well, we all are calling for Japan to win. The game’s live. Are you gonna watch?”

“I will watch with me ears,” she said silently.

Kyon asked Yuki again. “Did you predict Japan to win the penalty shootout?”

She said in her trademark monotone voice, “They won, did they not?” He continued to stare at Yuki, who later gave a smile as she adjusted her glasses again, the lenses glinting in the light.

“So you did.” She nodded, the smile a bit wider.

“Hey Yuki, we’re going to get some food to celebrate,” said Haruhi. “And Kyon’s paying. You coming?”

“Haruhi! When did anyone say I was gonna pay for the food?”

“You’re one to talk, Kyon. So,” she said, turning back to the gray-hair girl reading in her corner, “are you going with us?”

Putting down the book, she paused, and said, “Relatively.” She rose from her chair and followed the congregation down the hall, who were still in cheers from Team Japan getting their hard-earned payback. And as Haruhi and Kyon debated the issue, the favorite won, but it took a penalty lottery to do it.

Thanks a lot, Mom. You just had to open your big complaining mouth, and indirectly change the outcome considerably. Well, I know who my personal scapegoat will be.

Grads do it right - News

Some type of nostalgia, looking back...


Grads do it right - News

Impressions...

So my Business Law 320 instructor is a person by name of Dr. Lynn Dymally. A savvy, smart, straight-to-the-point person, Dr. Dymally is the daughter of Congressman Melvyn Dymally, and her son is a talented drummer attending CAMS. (Hopefully, he will do the right thing and come to The Beach when he graduates from the California Academy of Math and Sciences.)

In her opening lecture, after debriefing on how to write a killer case brief, she talks about commerce, and how we are affected by it. We come into contact with it every day. Speaking of commerce, Michael Vick is dinged today by the cops for illegal commerce. That is, the Falcons QB is being questioned for his dog-fighting activities. Uh oh; this can’t be good. Stay tuned for more developments.

My second Management instructor is a guy by the name of Dr. Philip Chong. No, he’s related to Tommy. He is full Chinese, while Dr. Thomas Chong from the University of Alberta is half. He is one of the assistant deans at the CBA, along with Dr. Nelson Horn. Actually, he is an interim associate dean (so it says on his syllabus), so this means the CBA is in transition. And he has a strong accent, so I guess it makes me feel a bit easy.

Anyway, I can’t drop this one. I had a bad experience with Sal Kukalis, and I am not keen to have that happen again. The hell I will, with 425 coming in the Fall! With everything crammed up, I’m due to get my portfolio started after this session is over.

And it starts all over again.

It's a drag, really. Here I am, posting on BoBA, and I am a few minutes away from starting my next class. Yes, I am doing Summer Session III at the Beach again. But this time, I am taking two classes in the same semester. Two of them! One in the morning (Business Law 320) and one in the evening (Management 300).

The summer was cut short for me, but for a reason. It's all part of the final push towards my degree. Here come the case briefs and Phoenix Wright-style accusations.

10,000...

Ain’t it great to be a Phillies fan?

10,000 losses. The most in any professional sport in this country. The most futile franchise in the majors reached a milestone that will be in infamy.

Wonder if the current manager down there is already sacked.

The Tropicana has invited be for a slot tournament in September. Well, this is a no-brainer: NO THANKS. I already have classes going on. I’ll take school over slot machine tournaments any day.

Saimoe 2007 is underway with the preliminaries up an running. Who will dethrone Suiseiseki as the champion? Find out by clicking the link in my del.icio.us page, and click the “Saimoe 2007” link. Saimoe is a combination of Saikyou and Moe, meaning “The Best Moe.”

Australia escaped with a 4-0 victory over Thailand at Rajamangala. Took them a while to actually do something right, didn’t it? God save this Socceroos team.

Friday the 13th

“Hmmm…A haunted house…”

So pondered Utena Tenjou before going on a spree, defeating every opponent, save for a slight hiccup that was rectified.

Speaking of haunted houses, for Australia’s Socceroos, they met their undoing in a house of horrors earlier today, also known simply as…Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, where Iraq entered the Twilight Zone as foretold by Rod Serling, 3-1.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders saw their own house, Mosaic Stadium, turn into a house of horrors on Friday the 13^th, as the defending Grey Cup champs BC Lions continued from where they left off, soundly smothering the Green and White through some savvy ballhawking, 42-12.

One wonders if the USA U-20s are poised to see their impending doom against the Austrians in Toronto later today.

David Beckham is now officially with the G’s. Good. Now crush Tigres for me, please.

So Melbourne Victory did get some early silverware, after all…

Go figure. I thought the match ended in a draw (blasted GlobalScore), but the game between Tianjin Teda and Melbourne Victory did go to penalties, with Victory winning the shootout, 6-5. The Chinese teams seem to be tough nuts to crack for Melbourne Victory. This will be some nice momentum heading into their Pre-Season Cup campaign. Best of luck putting the boots to Adelaide United once again.

And I hope Australia gets their mojo back putting the boots to Iraq. The last thing I would like to see is the Roos getting an early exit. Believe in yourselves, Australia. Save the SexyBall when you got a stranglehold on them.

USA 2-1 Uruguay: Own goal, and then a brawl afterwards. What mo, er, less could you ask for?

Midweek Mayhem Minutes from the Midwest couldn't have come any sooner.

Just when things couldn’t get any worse for the USA, Uruguay take a page of the playbooks of the ultras of Nueva Chicago and Tigres, and starts up a postgame brawl…in Toronto, Canada! Toronto, Canada, peoples! If there was a wrong place to start up a melee between young men (bring out my One Piece pirates, Naruto ninjas, and robot army for reinforcements!), it was here.

Baghdad, Iraq, should have been a place to do it. Send out some streakers were suicide bomb jackets to shut them up. But they never came to Toronto, and I don’t think they ever should, so to keep their youthful, troubled, weeaboo-free sanities intact.

The melee on the pitch tainted a 2-1 USA victory, thanks to the heroics of one Michael Bradley, and you wonder if the Ultimate Fighting leagues of the world were watching intently. Maybe some of these closet hooligans can make money off of this, albeit in a more proper setting.

Spirited group fight, wrong place to do it by far. End of post.

Woe-klahoma! Chokelahoma! The Great Depression returns to Okie-land again, and the Cowboys are smiling wide.

Hello, Bad News Bears.

Oh, what a drag for Oklahoma’s football team. The NCAA, that bunch of scumbags who make Congress look like forensic rejects prostrating toward Phoenix Wright, decided to stiff the Sooners even more. After some self-imposed penalties thanks to former QB Rhett Bomar and OL J.D. Quinn, the NCAA imposed:

*clears throat*

• All eight wins in the 2005 season vacated
• Two less scholarships for the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons
• One less coach that can recruit on campus

And that is just a few of what the NCAA decided to do. Naturally, Oklahoma president David Boren said, “Okay, if you want to lay the heavy artillery on one of the Big XII powerhouses, it’s on!” In other words…Boren decided to appeal. Baron de Montesquieu, you should be smiling in heaven, for once again, checks and balances are ruling American bureaucracy just as much as it is giving both sides headaches in a lose-lose situation the media papers love to feast on. It seems to actually give them something to write about, although the articles are nothing more than clichéd, unoriginal crap in attempt to get a paycheck boost.

Sigh. Such are American sportswriters. Disgrace to the journalism concept for what its worth. They're as bad as they come, though the British do it better.

Rammstein send help!

The New, Officlal Los Angeles Galaxy Logo. Finally.

The New, Officlal Los Angeles Galaxy Logo. Finally., originally uploaded by uhlocalboy.

I was given some bootlegs. This is the real deal, I promise you. Kudos to BigSoccer's very own marighand for the find. *applause*

News flash: The AL East is still up for grabs.

In my mind, nobody cares about the MLB All-Star Break, unless you are a retired, obese baby-boomer or a spoiled, fugly wife of one of the players who will be taking part. That said, those who are calling the race for the AL East pennant to Boston are fools, and for good reason: the New York Yankees are catching up. Right now, they are literally crushing the Los Angeles Angels, 12-0, heading into the late innings. As if things weren’t bad enough for my favorite teams. Mike Scoscia going to have to get these players more focused on the task at hand, and that’s win games. We’re still on top of the AL West, but by the seat of our asses.

That said, I’m more interested on the football: the arena football (the Avengers face the defending ArenaBowl champion Chicago Rush tomorrow), the Canadian football (Saskatchewan takes on Calgary in a few hours), and the associated football (can Team USA U-20 go far in the knockout stages, and will the Socceroos rebound from their dismal performance against Oman? And what of the Galaxy? Can they dispose of the Richmond Kickers on the 10^th, while seeing David Beckham take care of things as he jumps aboard?).

One thing is for sure: those Damn Yankees are back. Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, Mo. and Lola send help!